Give your homework to the dog

Article By: Phoenix Miles

Thu, 17 May 2012 9:58 AM

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Homework has been found to do more harm than good on how a child learns, a finding shows.

Looking at a number of studies which focused on the time children spent on homework versus actual academic results, Richard Walker, an educational psychologist from Sydney University, Australia, found that in those countries in which kids spent more time on homework scored lower on a standardised test.

They did find that homework can bolster performance as a child reached the last three years of school, but that more than one or two hours per week for younger kids had adverse effects on their learning.

Gerald LeTendre of Pennsylvania State University has also found evidence that too much homework has no advantages to a child's learning. He found that homework tended to be a way teachers were able to get through work they couldn't finish in class, rather than a way for children to learn.

But, even those tasks that are supposedly meant to advance a child's knowledge at home should be limited, says professor of education at Duke University, Harris Cooper, who recommends no more than 10 to 15 minutes of homework a day in Grade Two.

The findings suggest that there could be better ways for children to spend their time after school. LeTendre believes this time should be spent on learning to play a musical instrument, or playing sport, because this will help children develop more skills and become well-rounded.